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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

AUSTRALIA - MY BEAUTIFUL CORNER OF THE WORLD - MARGARET TANNER

Being an Aussie, I am taking the liberty of changing one of our Blog themes to - Beautiful Australia.

I love a sunburnt country
A land of sweeping plains
Of ragged mountain ranges
Of droughts and flooding rains
I love her far horizons
I love her jewel-sea
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me

This extract is from the famous Australian poem by author and poet, Dorothea Mackellar (1885 – 1968). Many people thought it should have become Australia’s national anthem instead of Advance Australia Fair.

We are an island nation. My ancestors fought and died to keep it free. Fortunately, I was never called upon to make such a sacrifice. My small contribution is that my historical novels are all set in Australia.

Our climate can be a harsh one, bitter in winter in some places and like a furnace in others.We have deserts, wonderful beaches, soaring mountains, often snow capped, large tracts of virgin bushland with trees and fauna found nowhere else in the world.We also have lush tropical rain forests.

Our most famous animal is of course, the kangaroo, with the koala not far behind.

I hope that one day, at least some of you will journey to the land “down under.” I can guarantee that you will love us.